TRANSPORT

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport has had no contact and holds no contracts with Curzon Education and Curzon Institute.

Land

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which sites owned by his Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what the expected planning use is for each site; whether each site already has planning permission for the expected planning use; what the market value of the site is; and whether the site will be sold for the full market value.

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 514W, by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude).

Railways: Fares

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the likely effect on household budgets of rail price increases coming into effect in January 2014 will be.

Stephen Hammond: Any increase in fares will impact upon household budgets, for this reason we took the decision to reduce the average regulated fare rises to RPI plus 0% for 2014, and for the first time in a decade regulated fares have not risen on average by more than inflation. Across all rail fares, the increases that came into effect from January 2014 have gone up by an average of 2.8%, which is the lowest fare rise in four years, according to the Rail Delivery Group.

Roads

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the funding allocation is for Highways Agency route based strategies in Oxfordshire;
	(2)  what total funding is allocated to Highways Agency route based strategies;
	(3)  what the funding allocation is for Highways Agency route based strategies in the South East.

Robert Goodwill: The Government has set out a new vision for England's strategic road network in 'Investing in Britain's Future' and 'Action for Roads', committing £10.7 billion to new major projects, and £6 billion for maintenance, over the course of the next Parliament. 'Action for Roads' sets out the national roads projects that will be delivered after 2015, as part of a long-term funding settlement to 2020-21.
	The Highways Agency's route-based strategies will be the primary means by which the investment priorities for the strategic road network will be identified beyond those to which the Government is already committed. The investment opportunities identified by the strategies, and the funding required to deliver them up to 2020-21 at a national and sub-national level, will be determined following their completion in March 2015.

WALES

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library all assessments of new policy and legislation from his Department since January 2013 which give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

David Jones: In a written ministerial statement to Parliament in December 2010, the Government confirmed its commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) Articles when making new policy and legislation.
	As such, the Wales Office is content that all policy and legislation from this Department since April 2010 does not engage with the Articles of the UNCRC.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

European Commission

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General if he will set out the Law Officers' Departments' priorities for discussions with the European Commission over their 2014 Work programme; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Heald: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), on 29 January 2014, Official Report, column 625W.

PRIME MINISTER

European Commission

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Prime Minister if he will set out No. 10 Downing Street's priorities for discussions with the European Commission over their 2014 Work Programme; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) on 29 January 2014, Official Report, column 625W.

DEFENCE

Publications

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's new Finance and Military Capability Operating Model.

Mark Francois: A copy of the Financial Military Capability Target Operating Model (FMC TOM) version 3 will be placed in the Library of the House. The right hon. Member should be aware that the TOM is a live document and will be updated and developed as the FMC construct matures and the Levene Delegated Model becomes a fully operational reality on 1 April 2014.

Radar: Hebrides

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  on what date his Department allocated funding to permit the contract process to begin for the North Uist air defence radar upgrade;
	(2)  on what date his Department decided that money would need to be allocated to fund the upgrade of the air defence radar on North Uist.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence allocated funding for the Remote Radar Head (RRH) Benbecula (North Uist) upgrade at the time the contract was signed in November 2013.
	The Department has known for many years that RRH Benbecula would need to be upgraded as it approaches the end of its expected life. The receipt of a formal proposal to upgrade RRH Buchan in summer 2013 presented an opportunity to preserve fleet commonality, and therefore the Department decided to upgrade RRH Benbecula also.

Radio Frequencies

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid in radio spectrum fees in each year between 2009-10 and 2012-13.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence paid the following amounts in radio spectrum fees:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009-10 58,430,709 
			 2010-11 63,382,464 
			 2011-12 154,878,400 
			 2012-13 154,878,400

Radio Frequencies

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department expects to pay in radio spectrum fees in each financial year between 2013-14 and 2015-16.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence will be paying the following amounts in radio spectrum fees:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2013-14 154,878,400 
			 2014-15 154,878,400 
		
	
	The radio spectrum fees for financial year 2015-16 have yet to be agreed and are subject to on-going negotiations with HM Treasury.

Radio Frequencies

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department is making with the sale of (a) 2.3GHz and (b) 3.4GHz electromagnetic spectrum bands; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: As I announced on 13 September 2013, the communications regulator, Ofcom, is conducting the release process of the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) radio spectrum in the 2.3 GHz and 3.4 GHz bands. Ofcom has already conducted a six-week "Call for Inputs" consultation seeking the views of interested parties and will shortly be publishing its technical coexistence proposals. Ofcom has indicated that the earliest the spectrum could be awarded would be in financial year 2015-16. In the meantime, the MOD is progressing with its work to clear existing military/Government users from the 2.3 GHz and 3.4 GHz bands.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Environment Protection: Taxation

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to suspend any planned increase in the carbon price floor until the EU Commission approves the UK's application for state aid approval for support to energy intensive industries.

Michael Fallon: Ensuring UK industry remains globally competitive is a priority for this Government. I am concerned about the impact of the carbon price floor on energy intensive industries and I met with Vice President Almunia and his Commission officials on 29 January to press the Commission for a quick decision on state aid approval.

EU External Trade

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on EU free trade agreements.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), regularly meets with his EU counterparts to discuss a range of issues including EU free trade agreements.

European Commission

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will set out his Department's priorities for discussions with the European Commission over their 2014 Work Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) on 29 January 2014, Official Report, column 625W.

Mailing Preference Service

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have chosen to use (a) Royal Mail's opt-out scheme and (b) the mailing preference service.

Jennifer Willott: BIS has not made any estimates on the number of people who have chosen to use Royal Mail's opt-out scheme or the Mailing Preference Service.
	Government has made sure that UK consumers can at any time choose to stop receiving unwanted mail.
	Preference services have been put in place for any one who does not want to receive unsolicited mail-addressed and unaddressed. Registering with such services is free and simple.
	More information about these services can be found on the Mailing Preference Service website
	www.mpsonline.org.uk

Postal Services: Competition

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with (a) Ofcom and (b) Consumer Futures on the effect of end-to-end competition in the postal market on the universal postal service.

Jennifer Willott: BIS Ministers and officials meet with representatives from Ofcom and Consumer Futures on an intermittent basis to discuss a wide range of issues, including developments within the postal services market.
	It is Ofcom's responsibility as the independent regulator for postal services in the UK to monitor any impacts of market competition on the provision of the universal service in the UK. Parliament has given Ofcom the powers to intervene if the provision of the universal service is ever at serious risk from the effects of postal competition.
	Ofcom has an effective and ongoing monitoring regime to track the financial sustainability of the universal postal service. In March 2013 Ofcom published guidance on its approach to assessing the impact of end-to-end competition in the postal sector. In its November 2013 annual monitoring report Ofcom considered "it is not necessary to impose any additional regulatory conditions on end-to-end operators to secure the ongoing provision of a universal postal service at this point in time".
	If Ofcom's ongoing monitoring regime does not prompt the need for any earlier assessment, it will carry out a full review of the impact of market competition towards the end of 2015 as a matter of course. This will ensure that the regulator has made a detailed assessment of the actual and potential impact of emerging end-to-end competition based on a better understanding of how the postal market is developing. More information about Ofcom's regulatory regime can be found on its website:
	www.ofcom.org.uk

Postal Services: Competition

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on the universal postal service of the extension of end-to-end delivery services by companies other than the universal service provider.

Jennifer Willott: Under the Postal Services Act 2011, Parliament transferred regulatory responsibility for the postal services sector from Postcomm to Ofcom as an independent regulator and gave Ofcom the primary duty of securing the universal postal service in the United Kingdom.
	It is Ofcom's responsibility to monitor any impacts of market competition on the provision of the universal service in the UK. Parliament has given Ofcom the powers to intervene if the provision of the universal service is ever at serious risk from the effects of postal competition.
	Ofcom has an effective and ongoing monitoring regime to track the financial sustainability of the universal postal service. In March 2013 Ofcom published guidance on its approach to assessing the impact of end-to-end competition in the postal sector.
	In its November 2013 annual monitoring report Ofcom considered
	"it is not necessary to impose any additional regulatory conditions on end-to-end operators to secure the ongoing provision of a universal postal service at this point in time".
	If Ofcom's ongoing monitoring regime does not prompt the need for any earlier assessment, it will carry out a full review of the impact of market competition towards the end of 2015 as a matter of course. This will ensure that the regulator has made a detailed assessment of the actual and potential impact of emerging end-to-end competition based on a better understanding of how the postal market is developing. More information about Ofcom's regulatory regime can be found on its website
	www.ofcom.org.uk

Research: West Midlands

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what publicly-funded research budgets are ongoing at universities in the West Midlands.

David Willetts: Universities in the West Midlands receive public research funding through the dual support system. These are the Quality Research (QR) allocation from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and research grant funds from the seven UK research councils. Information on QR allocations is publicly available on the HEFCE website:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/invest/institns/annallocns
	Information on historic research grant funding is publicly available on the Higher Education Statistics Agency website:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/content/view/1897/239
	The Research Councils collectively spent £101 million1 within the West Midlands in financial year 2012/13, within the following institutions:
	1 Data covers expenditure on standard grants, Studentships, Fellowships and Training Grants.
	Aston University
	Birmingham City University
	Coventry University
	Harper Adams University College
	Keele University
	Staffordshire University
	University of Birmingham
	University of Warwick
	University of Wolverhampton

Science: Finance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his forecast outturn for science spending is in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

David Willetts: The Department published allocations for the periods concerned in the booklet "The Allocation of Science and Research Funding 2011-12 to 2014-15" (20 December 2010):
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/allocation-of-science-and-research-funding-2011-12-to-2014-15
	The Department has also announced additional allocations since the spending review through fiscal events totalling £514 million in 2013-14 and £609 million in 2014-15. This figure includes resource for projects announced at the autumn statement, 5 December 2013, Official Report, columns 1101-1113.
	The outturn for each financial year is published in the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper and the BIS annual accounts, available on:
	www.gov.uk
	after the end of each financial year.

Students: Loans

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place a copy of the model used to forecast revenue from student loan payments in the Library.

David Willetts: We have published a simplified version of the student loan repayments model on our website which demonstrates how we forecast repayments from student loans. This was updated in December 2013 to take account of the new macro-economic forecasts published by the Office for Budgetary Responsibility.
	Here is a link to the published model:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/simplified-student-loan-repayment-model

TNT

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with TNT on extending end-to-end postal services in (a) Liverpool, (b) Manchester, (c) Glasgow, (d) Birmingham, (e) Edinburgh and (f) other areas of the UK.

Jennifer Willott: Ministers in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills have not had any discussions with TNT Post on its plans to extend its end-to-end operations in the UK. BIS officials meet with representatives from TNT on an intermittent basis to discuss a wide range of issues, including developments in the postal market.
	It is Ofcom's responsibility as the independent regulator for postal services to monitor any impacts of market competition on the provision of the universal service in the UK. Parliament has given Ofcom the powers to intervene if the provision of the universal service is ever at serious risk from the effects of postal competition.

Vetting: Scotland

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he or Ministers in his Department have had with Ministers in the Scottish Government on the blacklisting of Scottish workers.

Jennifer Willott: There have not been any such discussions between Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Scottish Government on the blacklisting of Scottish workers.

Vetting: Scotland

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent meetings his Department has had where the blacklisting of Scottish workers has been discussed.

Jennifer Willott: The Department has not had any meetings to discuss the blacklisting of Scottish workers.

JUSTICE

Bail

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of people aged 21 and over and suspected of burglary on non-residential premises received police bail in the last two years by (a) police force and (b) region; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of people aged under 21 years who were suspected of street robbery received police bail in the latest two years for which figures are available (a) by region, (b) by police force and (c) in total; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Data concerning the number of individuals placed on police bail in England and Wales is not held centrally.

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appellants in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England are waiting for the Tribunals Service to list their first-tier tribunal social security and child support appeal in respect of employment and support allowance.

Shailesh Vara: The First-tier Tribunal-Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits including employment and support allowance (ESA).
	There are always a number of ‘live’ appeals at the various stages of processing before being listed for a tribunal hearing. The live load also includes appeals which may not require a final hearing or have had an initial hearing but have not had a final decision.
	Appeals to the SSCS Tribunal are registered in the processing centre in the region where the appellant lives, and the data on the load broken down by benefit can be provided at the level of these processing centres.
	At September 2013 (the most recent period for which statistics have been published) there were a total of 2,286 ESA appeals waiting to be heard in the Coventry venues. For the West Midlands this figure is 15,8171 and for England 130,252.
	In 2011-12, ESA appeal receipts at Coventry were 1,896; West Midlands 18,957; and England 145,625. In 2012-13 these rose to 3,025, 33,958 and 200,850 respectively. To meet this increased demand, HMCTS has increased the capacity of the Tribunal. For example, the number of hearing rooms in Coventry has doubled.
	1 West Midlands includes appeals heard at Birmingham, Coventry, Hereford, Kidderminster, Leamington Spa, Nuneaton, Shrewsbury, Solihull, Stoke, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Worcester venues.
	Note:
	The above data arc taken from management information in line with published statistics. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale reporting system and is the best data available.

Hewell Prison

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the number of deaths at HM Prison Hewell in the last 10 years.

Jeremy Wright: The number of deaths at HMP Hewell are published annually in Table 3.18 of the National Statistics Safety in Custody series. These statistics currently cover the period up to 2012 and can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics

Internet: Bullying

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice under what legislation cyber-bullying offences are currently prosecuted; and how many prosecutions for cyber-bullying have been undertaken in each year since 2010.

Damian Green: The Government is determined to deal robustly with cyber-bullying, which can have appalling effects on its victims' lives. Offences can be prosecuted under a wide range of legislation, including the Malicious Communications Act 1988, the Communications Act 2003, the Protection from Harassment Act 2007 and the Public Order Act 1986. Each of these offences is used for a variety of purposes, and it is not possible to distinguish the figures for cyber-bullying from other circumstances in which the legislation might be used.

Judges: Housing

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of providing judge's lodgings was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Shailesh Vara: The total cost of accommodating High Court judges in lodgings for 2012-13, the latest period for which figures are available, was £5,232,600. The Justice Secretary and Lord Chief Justice are reviewing the spend on judges' lodgings. The review will look at suitable and appropriate accommodation for High Court judges sitting on cases away from their base in the Royal Courts of Justice; satisfactory working conditions and privacy; appropriate levels of security; and value for money for the Ministry of Justice and the taxpayer.
	All 2012-13 costs except capital depreciation and payroll are taken directly from the finance system. Capital depreciation is taken from a separate fixed assets database and payroll costs have been provided by the central judges' lodgings team.
	The most serious and complex cases, both criminal and civil, are heard by High Court judges in courts near to where the events took place and in a place most convenient to parties and witnesses. High Court judges are based in London and need accommodation, often for long periods of time, when they hear cases outside London.

Legal Aid Scheme: Sexual Offences

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes to legal aid on the sentencing of those convicted of sexual offences.

Shailesh Vara: The Government's reforms of the legal aid scheme will not have an impact on sentencing for any type of offence.

Magistrates

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he is monitoring the number of lay magistrates who choose to leave the magistracy.

Shailesh Vara: Magistrates in England and Wales play a vital role in our judiciary. They deal with around 19 out of every 20 defendants in criminal cases. Crime is falling and the number of magistrates should reflect the level of work available and we ensure a sufficient number of magistrates are recruited to meet this demand.
	The Judicial Office routinely collates data on the number of magistrates who resign.

Written Questions

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many named day parliamentary questions sent to his Department were answered after the day named without a holding letter being sent in each session of Parliament since 2010.

Shailesh Vara: It would incur disproportionate costs to provide this information, since this would require a manual trawl of each individual parliamentary question response from the beginning of the last two Sessions to date.

HEALTH

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in how many cases in which an abortion was certified under ground C the woman seeking the abortion had met the authorising medical practitioner in each year since 2001; and what proportion of the total such cases were in each year.

Jane Ellison: holding answer 27 January 2014
	During the process of answering this parliamentary question the Department of Health has identified an issue with extracting data from the HSA4 form. This means that it is not possible to specify in how many cases the authorising doctor met and/or examined the woman seeking the abortion. Officials are now reviewing the data collection processes.
	This also corrects the information given to the hon. Member for Gainsborough (Sir Edward Leigh) on 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 403W.

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is.

Daniel Poulter: We do not hold any contracts with either Curzon Education or the Curzon Institute.
	There is no recorded correspondence between the Department and these two companies. We are unaware of the existence of any dialogue with these companies. To conduct a full search across the Department would incur disproportionate costs.

Dementia

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the cost of caring for patients in the acute care setting who suffer from dementia; and what number of acute care beds are occupied by patients with dementia.

Norman Lamb: We have made no estimate of the cost of caring for patients with dementia in acute hospitals. It is estimated that around a quarter of hospital beds are occupied by people with dementia.

Dialysis Machines

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dialysis units in England provide the full range of treatments for end stage renal failure.

Jane Ellison: There are currently 52 renal referral centres in England that have an integral haemodialysis unit.
	NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised services and treatment for people with end stage renal failure. NHS England’s “Renai dialysis: hospital and satellite (adult)” service specification sets out that in-centre haemodialysis should be offered to any patient with end stage renal failure if it is deemed that the patient will benefit from treatment.
	NHS England’s service specification makes it clear that one of the aims of the service is to deliver access to high quality services and appropriate treatment for patients with end stage renal failure, across England. The specification can be found at the following link:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/a06-renal-dia-hosp-sat-ad.pdf

Driving Under Influence: Drugs

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of drug driving legislation on patients; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The measures in the Crime and Courts Act 2013 which increase police powers to tackle drug driving are designed to improve road safety. Officials from the Department are working closely with those in the Department for Transport to ensure that there are no unintended consequences for either patients taking medication or for those prescribing specified drugs.

Fast Food

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2014, Official Report, column 347W, on fast food, which Ministers attended the meetings on (a) 7 March 2013 and (b) 5 July 2013; and what was discussed at each such meeting.

Jane Ellison: The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Broxtowe (Anna Soubry), attended the meetings with McDonald's on 7 March, 2013 and Burger King on 5 July 2013. Discussion focussed on the two companies' contributions to the Public Health Responsibility Deal Food Network pledges.
	McDonald's is signed up to three Food Network pledges—out of home calorie labelling, non-use of artificial trans fats and salt reduction in catering: procurement.
	Burger King is signed up to two Food Network pledges—out of home calorie labelling and non-use of artificial trans fats.

Fats

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effects of trans fats on public health.

Jane Ellison: The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), a committee of independent experts who advises the Government on nutrition issues, examined the evidence on trans fats and health in 2007. The SACN concluded that trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils has a moderate impact on increasing the risk of coronary heart disease and, for this reason, recommended that trans fats should contribute no more than 2% of food energy. The Government has kept abreast of emerging evidence including evaluations by international bodies such as the World Health Organisation and the European Food Safety Authority which are broadly consistent with SACN's conclusions. The average intakes are currently well within current public health guidelines.

General Practitioners

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average time waiting to be seen is for GP appointments in (a) Birmingham South Central clinical commissioning group and (b) clinical commissioning groups in England.

Jane Ellison: The requested information is not collected centrally.

Infectious Diseases

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what comparative assessment his Department has made of the likelihood of a (a) homeless person and (b) member of the general population being infected with (i) active pulmonary tuberculosis, (ii) HIV, (iii) chronic hepatitis B infection and (iv) chronic HCV infection.

Jane Ellison: The assessment of the likelihood of a homeless person and a member of the general public being infected with active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), HIV, chronic hepatitis B infection and chronic hepatitis C infection is as follows:
	The incidence of pulmonary TB in the general population in 2012 was 7.2/100,000. 3.8% of the cases of active pulmonary TB notified in 2012 had a history of homelessness. As we do not have reliable figures for the size of the homeless population, we cannot calculate the incidence of pulmonary TB in the homeless population. However, a study in London in 2003 estimated that the prevalence of TB in the homeless population was nearly 30 times as high as in the general population1.
	In 2012, an estimated 98,400 people were living with HIV in the United Kingdom (diagnosed and undiagnosed), representing an overall prevalence of 1.5 per 1,000 population. The likelihood of being infected with HIV in the UK is therefore one in 667. No information is collected on homelessness in the HIV data systems.
	Our estimates of the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B and C infection in the UK adult population are 0.3% and 0.4%, respectively. Homeless people are more vulnerable to a wide range of infections than the rest of the general population. Studies of chronic hepatitis B and C in the UK homeless population are limited, but a recent survey of people who inject drugs found that those who had ever been homeless were more likely to have a chronic hepatitis C infection (32%) than those that were in stable accommodation (26%)2.
	1 Story A, Murad S, Roberts W, Verheyen M, Hayward AC. Tuberculosis in London: the importance of homelessness, problem drug use and prison. Thorax 2007;62:667-71.
	2 Health Protection Agency, Health Protection Scotland, National Public Health Service for Wales, CDSC Northern Ireland, CRDHB. Shooting Up: Infections among injecting drug users in the United Kingdom 2008. London: Health Protection Agency, October 2009.

Kidneys: Transplant Surgery

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to monitor the performance of renal units in managing kidney transplant recipients.

Jane Ellison: Renal transplantation is now commissioned centrally by NHS England as a directly commissioned specialised service. The specification for renal transplantation published by NHS England outlines the outcomes required of the service. This specification now forms part of the service contracts with renal transplant providers. A copy of the specification is available on the NHS England website at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/a07-renal-transpl-ad.pdf
	As with all of the service specifications for specialised services, compliance of the transplant unit to the expected outcomes of the specification will be monitored by the area team.
	It is also a requirement that the transplant unit adheres to the standards and guidance listed in section 3 of the specification, which is a comprehensive list of applicable nationally agreed standards and guidelines for the service. There is a further requirement in the service specification that the transplant unit submits data to the Renal Registry and NHS Blood and Transplant. This data is reviewed and any outliers from the mean are highlighted. NHS England works in close partnership with both the Renal Registry and NHS Blood and Transplant. In the coming contract year, a quality dashboard will be added for transplant units to complete which will be an additional tool for monitoring performance of transplant units.

Land

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which sites owned by his Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what the expected planning use is for each site; whether each site already has planning permission for the expected planning use; what the market value of the site is; and whether the site will be sold for the full market value.

Daniel Poulter: The Department owns the following larger sites which are currently earmarked for disposal.
	
		
			 Site Use Expected planning use Planning permission Book value (£) Site to be sold for full market value 
			 Warwick Cottage, Melton Mowbray Residential Residential Application made 75,000 Yes 
			 Part Kingsley Green Hospital, Radlett Hospital Residential No 21,572,500 Yes 
			 Part Lea Castle. Hospital, Kidderminster Hospital Residential No 520,000 Yes 
			 Part Little Plumstead Hospital, Norwich Hospital Residential Application made 2,575,000 Yes 
			 Land at Bob Dunn Way, Dartford Open land Residential No 850,000 Yes 
			 Land at Elmfield Way, London N3 Open land Residential Application made 1,670,750 Yes 
			 Land at Racecourse Lane, Shrewsbury Open land Residential Part 1,950,000 Yes 
			 Former Meacham Clinic, Milton Keynes Day centre Residential No 380,000 Yes 
		
	
	
		
			 Land at Harp's Close, Sunbury Open land Residential Yes 1,100,000 Yes 
			 Land adjoining Bucknall Hospital, Bucknall Open land Residential Mo 75,000 Yes 
			 Land at Marshall's Cross Road, St Helen's Open land Residential No 400,000 Yes 
			 Land at Rooley Avenue, Bradford Open land To be determined No 566,500 Yes

Medical Records: Databases

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people who have opted out of the NHS National database and the availability of their records to the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Daniel Poulter: An estimate of the number of objections is not currently available.
	The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) will record the number of patient objections made at each general practitioner practice. Where there appears to be a high number of objections relative to the national average, NHS England and the HSCIC will work with the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners to review the data.

Medical Records: Databases

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the ability of the Health and Social Care Information Centre to ensure the anonymity of NHS patients when sharing data with third parties.

Daniel Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is committed and legally bound to the very highest standards of privacy, security and confidentiality to ensure that confidential information is protected at all times. There are very strict rules about what information the HSCIC can release to the national health service and outside organisations.
	The HSCIC makes data available in three formats: personal confidential data, pseudonymous data, and anonymous data. Each format is protected by a different suite of privacy safeguards as described in the Information Commissioner's “Code of Practice on Anonymisation”. No personal confidential data are ever disclosed without a legal basis for doing so, such as the patient's explicit consent.

Mental Health Services: Cumbria

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions patients from other areas were admitted to inpatient psychiatric facilities run by NHS Cumbria due to a shortage of beds elsewhere in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and from which trust areas these patients were transferred.

Norman Lamb: The number of admissions to the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust by primary care trust (PCT) of residence in 2012-13 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  PCT Admissions 
			  Total 1,140 
			    
			 5NE Cumbria Teaching PCT 1,071 
			    
			 5NF North Lancashire Teaching PCT 18 
			 5P2 Bedfordshire PCT 1— 
			 7A1 Betsi Cadwaladr University Lhb 1— 
			 5HP Blackpool PCT 1— 
			 5QN Bournemouth And Poole Teaching PCT 1— 
			 5QJ Bristol PCT 1— 
			 5JX Bury PCT 1— 
			 5NG Central Lancashire PCT 1— 
			 5ND County Durham PCT 1— 
			 5J9 Darlington PCT 1— 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT 1— 
			 5QH Gloucestershire PCT 1— 
			 5NM Halton and St Helens PCT 1— 
			 5C9 Haringey Teaching PCT 1— 
			 5QV Hertfordshire PCT 1— 
			 5LD Lambeth PCT 1— 
			 5NV North Yorkshire and York PCT 1— 
			 5QE Oxfordshire PCT 1— 
			 5NJ Sefton PCT 1— 
			 5M1 South Birmingham PCT 1— 
			 5PK South Staffordshire PCT 1— 
			 5PS Surrey PCT 1— 
			 TAL Torbay Care Trust 1— 
			 5J2 Warrington PCT 1— 
			 5P6 West Sussex PCT 1— 
			 5QK Wiltshire PCT 1— 
			    
			  Unknown PCT 13 
			 1 Denotes the value has been suppressed due to small numbers (1-5). Notes: 1. The figures presented relate to activity (admissions) rather than people. 2. Data are not collected on the reasons why an admission of a patient from out of area has taken place. These can be for a variety of reasons, including patients being taken ill when on holiday or visiting another area, the need for specialist treatment, or the unavailability of beds closer to home. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS) annual file 2012-13.

Mesothelioma

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 696, on mesothelioma, how many mesothelioma cases were treated by the NHS in each previous year for which information is available; and what estimate his Department has made of the likely number of mesothelioma cases diagnosed in each future year.

Jane Ellison: The following table provides information concerning the number of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis of mesothelioma for the years 1995-96 to 2012-13 and refers to the number of cases treated by the NHS. This could include episodes of multiple treatment for the same individual.
	
		
			  FAEs 
			 1995-96 1,890 
			 1996-97 2,236 
			 1997-98 2,643 
			 1998-99 3,356 
			 1999-2000 3,728 
			 2000-01 3,876 
			 2001-02 3,986 
			 2002-03 3,941 
			 2003-04 4,822 
			 2004-05 4,784 
			 2005-06 5,458 
			 2006-07 5,676 
			 2007-08 5,960 
			 2008-09 6,316 
			 2009-10 6,463 
			 2010-11 6,488 
			 2011-12 7,348 
			 2012-13 7,711 
			 Notes: 1. Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. 2. A FAE is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. 3. Hospital episode statistics figures for the count of FAEs with a primary diagnosis of mesothelioma are available from 1995-96 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. 
		
	
	The Department has made no estimate of the likely number of mesothelioma cases diagnosed in each future year.
	However, the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) latest projections of annual mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain over the 30-year period, 2012-41, based on statistical modelling of data from the HSE mesothelioma register, are shown in the following table.
	Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma will die within three years of a diagnosis.
	
		
			  Projected deaths 
			 2012 2,406 
			 2013 2,436 
			 2014 2,462 
		
	
	
		
			 2015 2,479 
			 2016 2,494 
			 2017 2,500 
			 2018 2,503 
			 2019 2,496 
			 2020 2,481 
			 2021 2,459 
			 2022 2,429 
			 2023 2,392 
			 2024 2,353 
			 2025 2,298 
			 2026 2,238 
			 2027 2,171 
			 2028 2,092 
			 2029 2,012 
			 2030 1,927 
			 2031 1,845 
			 2032 1,759 
			 2033 1,656 
			 2034 1,560 
			 2035 1,461 
			 2036 1,366 
			 2037 1,254 
			 2038 1,158 
			 2039 1,077 
			 2040 1,010 
			 2041 949 
			 Notes: 1. The latest update of the project was produced in August 2013 and is based on statistical modelling of mesothelioma deaths up to and including the year 2010. The results suggest that annual deaths will peak towards the end of the decade and then start to fall reflecting a reduction in asbestos exposures following its peak use in the 1960s and 1970s. 2. The statistical model used for these projections provides a reasonable basis for making relatively short-term future predictions of mesothelioma mortality in Britain, including the extent and timing of the peak number of deaths. Longer-term projections can also be made but are associated with considerable uncertainty.

NHS: Redundancy

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2013, Official Report, column 416W, on NHS: redundancy, for what reasons the information is not available from the date requested.

Daniel Poulter: Parliamentary Question 177460 replied to on 28 November 2013, Official Report, column 416W, asked for information on redundancies and re-employment in the national health service from May 2013. Given that this request related to a very recent time, published data on NHS redundancies was only available for a small proportion of the time period. Furthermore, part of the question related to re-employment to other forms of health care contracted to the NHS and the Department holds no information on this.

Older People: Mental Capacity

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the report by the Care and Quality Commission published on 20 January 2014, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the number of applications for restrictions on the liberty of elderly patients under the Mental Capacity Act 2008.

Norman Lamb: The recent report by the Care Quality Commission was about the Deprivation of Liberty safeguards. These are safeguards which ensure that any deprivation of liberty is carried out in a person's best interests. The report shows greater use of these safeguards, as care homes understand them better and use them more.
	The safeguards result in increased scrutiny of care plans for elderly people with dementia. The Department welcomes greater awareness of when the safeguards should be used and welcomes a greater focus on promoting the liberty of older people with dementia.

Tuberculosis

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the prevalence of active pulmonary tuberculosis amongst (a) the homeless population and (b) the general population.

Jane Ellison: The incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in the general population in 2012 was 7.2/100,000. 3.8% of the cases of active pulmonary TB notified in 2012 had a history of homelessness. As we do not have reliable figures for the size of the homeless population, we cannot calculate the incidence of pulmonary TB in the homeless population. However, a study in London in 2003 estimated that the prevalence of TB in the homeless population was nearly 30 times as high as in the general population. In March 2014, Pubic Health England and NHS England will be launching a national TB strategy.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

EU Grants and Loans

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent meetings he has had with ministerial colleagues to discuss the European regional development fund.

Brandon Lewis: Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet colleagues from other Departments to discuss a range of matters.

EU Grants and Loans

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what allocations in each local authority area of England have been made by the European regional development fund in each year since 2007.

Brandon Lewis: Allocations from the 2007-13 European regional development fund were made by the old Government regions. Allocations were made in 2006 in Euros and apply to the whole of the 2007-13 programme period. Allocations for each programme are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Operational programme Total (million Euros) 
			 Convergence  
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 458.1 
			   
			 Regional competitiveness  
			 North West 755.8 
		
	
	
		
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 583.6 
			 North East 375.7 
			 East Midlands 268.5 
			 West Midlands 399.9 
			 East of England 111.0 
			 London 181.9 
			 South East 23.7 
			 South West 124.7 
			 Total 3,282.9 
		
	
	I refer the hon. member to the written ministerial statement given by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), on 27 June 2013, Official Report, columns 9-10WS, where he announced the allocation of European structural and investment funds to local enterprise partnerships during the 2014-20 programme period.

Fire Services: Cumbria

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Government has given to fire and rescue services in Cumbria in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 23 January 2014
	Cumbria local authority chooses how much to spend on fire and rescue services, drawing on central Government grant and other items such as council tax. The following table shows their net current expenditure on fire and rescue services in each of the last five years:
	
		
			  Net current expenditure on fire and rescue services (£ million) 
			 2008-09 17.197 
			 2009-10 22.634 
			 2010-11 23.373 
			 2011-12 21.467 
			 2012-13 21.583 
		
	
	These figures show that expenditure has remained broadly the same, while the number of fire incidents is on an ongoing downward trend nationally and specifically in Cumbria over the last 10 years.
	There is real scope for fire and rescue authorities to make sensible savings and practical improvements without reducing the quality of life-saving services. To facilitate this, Sir Ken Knight has undertaken a detailed review into the operational efficiency of the services delivered by fire and rescue authorities in England; the Government will be responding formally in due course.

Housing: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many affordable homes have been built in each London borough in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many local authority homes have been built in each London borough in each of the last five years.

Kris Hopkins: From 1 April 2012, the Mayor of London has had strategic oversight of housing, regeneration and economic development in London.
	Statistics on house building completions by tenure in each London borough are published in the Department’s live tables 253 (annual) and 253a (quarterly), which are available at the following link:
	http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
	Taken together, the housing association and local authority tenures provide estimates of total social housing completions, but these figures understate total affordable supply. This is because the house building figures are categorised by the type of developer rather than the intended final tenure, leading to under recording of affordable housing, and a corresponding over recording of private enterprise figures.
	More comprehensive statistics on affordable housing completions funded by the Greater London authority since 2009-10 by London borough are available at the following link:
	http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/housing-land/increasing-housing-supply/gla-affordable-housing-statistics
	These statistics include both newly built housing and acquisitions but exclude delivery of affordable housing not funded by Greater London authority programmes that are reported in local authority returns to the Department. A fuller picture of all affordable housing completions is published in the Department’s live tables 1006, 1006a, 1007 and 1008, which are available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

Land: Public Sector

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 632W, on housing: construction, if he will place in the Library the location of the 385 sites of public land sold;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 632W, on housing: construction, how many of the 385 sites were sold under the Government's Build Now, Pay Later scheme;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 632W, on housing: construction, what conditions of development were placed on each of the 385 sites sold since 2010;
	(4)  pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 632W, on housing: construction, whether the Government (a) collects data on and (b) monitors outcomes of the public sites following their disposal;
	(5)  how many jobs have been created from the sale of public sector land under the accelerated public sector land disposal scheme to date.

Kris Hopkins: Further to my answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 632W, the Government disposed of an additional 54 public sector land sites between 1 October and 31 December; 439 sites have been sold under the public sector land programme as a whole. A list of these sites has been placed in the Library of the House. With regard to the terms of sale and conditions placed on sites when they are sold, such as build Now, Pay Later, the Department does not centrally hold this information. The Department does not collect data on the number of homes built once a site has been sold, or jobs created. Where sites are in private ownership, there is no requirement for the new owners to report starts or completions to central Government, and we do not intend to impose administrative reporting burdens which could hinder sale of the sites.

Local Government Finance

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that grants paid under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 can be paid to local authorities promptly during the 2014-15 financial year.

Brandon Lewis: The Department is actively engaging with HM Treasury and other Government Departments to ensure that all section 31 grants are paid promptly to enable local authorities to plan their budgets and make decisions.

Non-domestic Rates

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by what date he expects to have made full payments to local authorities in respect of small business rate relief for the 2013-14 financial year.

Brandon Lewis: The Government has committed to fund the full cost to authorities associated with tax changes under the new business rates retention scheme. The full cost in respect of the doubling of small business rate relief 2013-14 will not be known until we receive authorities’ NNDR3 out-turn returns in the summer. Authorities will receive interim payments on 31 January 2014 based on their estimates of costs.

Temporary Accommodation: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families currently placed in temporary accommodation reside in one room in each London borough.

Kris Hopkins: The requested information is not collected by my Department.
	This Government has retained a strong homelessness safety net protected in law, supported by £470 million in the current spending review period to prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions. We are seeing this investment making an impact with households now spending on average seven months less in temporary accommodation than at the start of 2010.
	We have also made some changes to the rules under the Localism Act to enable local authorities to end the main homelessness duty by arranging an offer of suitable accommodation in the private rented sector. This means households are likely to spend less time in temporary accommodation waiting for social housing to become available.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households will lose eligibility for the reimbursement for costs of servicing essential home adaptations under universal credit.

Kris Hopkins: My Department has made consequential amendments to the Housing Renewal Grant Regulations (1996) to ensure that following the introduction of universal credit anyone who would be entitled to home adaptations continues to remain eligible.

World War I: Anniversaries

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what grants and contracts of what value have been awarded by his Department in relation to the centenary of the First World War.

Stephen Williams: holding answer 28 January 2014
	My Department is supporting a series of projects to commemorate the centenary of the First World War and to help bring Britain's communities together.
	The Last Post (£34,000) is a mass participation music project; 300 communities across the country will research their own local First World War heritage and hold musical recitals in schools, libraries, places of worship and community centres, where they will share stories, local memories and testimony.
	Remember 100 (£125,000) will mobilise communities to reflect upon the service, sacrifice and impact on society of the First World War, and in so doing engage collectively on community volunteering, educational and participative activities.
	Curzon Education (£120,000) will deliver lectures across the country on the contribution of Commonwealth nations to the First World War and provide educational material.
	In collaboration with the Department for Education, we are funding battlefield visits on the Western Front for school children from 2014 to 2019. This is worth £5.3 million in total, over five years, split equally between DCLG and DfE, and is being delivered by the Institute of Education and STS school travel service.
	Our Victoria Cross Commemorative Paving Stones project will see paving stones laid across the United Kingdom for each serviceman who was awarded a Victoria Cross during the First World War. A further announcement will be made in due course about funding for this work. I would add that all Victoria Cross heroes will be commemorated; for those born overseas, but who had a local connection in the United Kingdom, the relevant local council will be offered a paving stone. No hero will be forgotten.

CABINET OFFICE

Electronic Government

Jesse Norman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to ensure that people can continue to communicate with public services in writing after the Government's digital strategy has been fully implemented.

Nick Hurd: The Government Digital Service is working with colleagues across Government to help create digital services that are so straightforward and convenient that all those who can use them will choose to do so, while those who cannot are not excluded.
	The Government's approach to assisted digital will ensure people who may not want or be able to use digital services will be supported, for example by phone or face to face.

European Commission

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will set out his Department's priorities for discussions with the European Commission over their 2014 Work programme; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), on 29 January 2014, Official Report, column 625W.

TREASURY

Bank Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to require banks not to prevent customers taking out large sums of money in cash without proof of reason for withdrawal.

Sajid Javid: The Government has no plans to make a policy announcement on this issue.
	The terms and conditions that a bank offers on a bank account, including cash withdrawal limits, is a commercial decision for individual banks and building societies.

Economic Policy

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the speech delivered to the Mile End Group by the permanent secretary to the Treasury on 15 January 2014 represents the policy of the Government.

Nicky Morgan: The views expressed by the permanent secretary were given in a personal capacity in his role as Visiting Professor in the School of Economics and Finance, Queen Mary University of London.

European Investment Bank

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the output of the European Investment Bank desalination plants at Ashdod, Sorek and Hadera goes to (a) Israel, (b) settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory and (c) Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory; and what reports the UK representative on the board of the European Investment Bank has made to him of such projects.

Alan Duncan: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for International Development.
	The output from the Ashdod, Sorek and Hadera desalination plants is supplied across the water network to both Israel and the Palestinian territory. DFID does not hold information about the final destination of its output.

European Investment Bank

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Israeli entities and projects have received European Investment Bank loans since 2008; which such loans had UK support at board level; which such projects are pending for approval; and which such projects or entities operate, wholly or partially, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Alan Duncan: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for International Development.
	The European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved eight projects to Israeli entities since 2008. All projects are located in Israel. There are currently no projects pending approval. The UK supported all eight projects at board level.

Financial Services

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses have been compensated for being mis-sold interest rate hedging agreements to date.

Sajid Javid: The Financial Conduct Authority publishes monthly progress reports on the redress scheme for the mis-selling of interest rate hedging products. These reports show the progress made by each of the largest banks.
	On 6 December, the Financial Conduct Authority published each individual bank's projections for when they expect to finish the redress scheme. The projections show that the banks expect to finish reviewing all cases by June 2014, with some banks likely to complete the scheme before this date.

Housing Benefit: Young People

Dave Watts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual cost to the Exchequer of social housing benefits for people under 25 is.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The following table shows housing benefit expenditure on claimants aged under 25 by tenure type for the financial year 2012-13, the latest available year of outturn.
	
		
			 Housing benefit expenditure on claimants aged under 25 by tenure type for 2012-13 (£ million, nominal) 
			  Expenditure (£ million) 
			 Private Sector 891 
			 Social Sector 972 
			 Total HB 1,863 
			 Source: Local authority statistical data and subsidy returns

HSBC

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will investigate the potential effect on business of HSBC's policy of limiting the amount customers can withdraw in cash.

Sajid Javid: This is a commercial decision and the Government do not comment on individual cases.
	The terms and conditions that a bank offers on a bank account, including cash withdrawal limits, is a commercial decision for individual banks and building societies.

Land

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which sites owned by his Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what the expected planning use is for each site; whether each site already has planning permission for the expected planning use; what the market value of the site is; and whether the site will be sold for the full market value.

Nicky Morgan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 514W.

Met Office

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effect the transfer of the Met Office from the Ministry of Defence to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will have on the Ministry of Defence’s spending review 2010 settlement.

Danny Alexander: The Met Office transferred from the Ministry of Defence to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in 2011, and the funding was transferred from the MOD budget to the BIS budget at the same time. The transfer of the Met Office to BIS has had no effect on MOD’s spending review 2010 settlement, other than the transfer of Met Office funding to BIS.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the potential effect of the mortgage guarantee element of the help-to-buy scheme on (a) housing starts, (b) house completions, (c) house prices, (d) Government borrowing and (e) Government liabilities in the current and next two financial years.

Sajid Javid: The Government is committed to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible. The Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme was set up to support households who cannot get a mortgage because of the very large deposits required by lenders following the financial crisis, but who can afford the mortgage repayments. The scheme also helps those trapped in their existing home who are unable to take the next step. On 8 October 2013, the Government announced that borrowers can start benefitting from the scheme.
	The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts, including house price forecasts. They published the latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook alongside the autumn statement on 5 December 2013.
	The total housing starts increased 16% year on year in the third quarter of 2013. The Help to Buy scheme will have a further positive effect on the housing market as there's a strong and persistent link between the volume of overall house transactions and the level of new house building. New build represents around 10-12% of overall housing transactions at most points in the last 25 years.
	The commercial fee for the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme is designed to be self-financing and has been calculated in line with the European Commission's Notice on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid, which relates to fees for guarantee schemes. The Government has made £12 billion of guarantees available, which is sufficient to support £130 billion of high loan-to-value mortgages.
	The Government will collect data on the mortgages covered by the scheme and will report in due course.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Council Tax Benefits

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK received council tax benefit in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: Council tax benefit (CTB) was abolished in April 2013 and replaced by a system of localised support. In England, the Department for Communities and Local Government is now responsible for statistics. The Scottish and Welsh Governments have similar responsibility.
	The statistics shown here provide the final numbers relating to council tax benefit and the specific statistics available by local authority, region and for Great Britain are shown in Table 10 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/housing-benefit-and-council-tax-benefit-caseload-statistics-published-from-november-2008-to-present
	Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development: Northern Ireland statistics and can be found at:
	http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats and research/benefit_ publications.htm
	The information requested for Jarrow constituency is not currently available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However a parliamentary constituency breakdown for council tax benefit has been produced as a one-off exercise for January 2011, and is published at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130107093842/http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/hb_ctb_parlc _jan11.xls

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is.

Michael Penning: From January 2012 to date I can confirm that there were no meetings between DWP Ministers or the Permanent Secretary with either Curzon Education or the Curzon Institute.
	I can confirm that DWP does not hold any contracts with Curzon Education or the Curzon Institute.

Disability

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the cumulative effects of its policies on disabled people in (a) Birkenhead constituency, (b) the metropolitan borough of Wirral and (c) the UK since May 2010.

Michael Penning: The Government regularly produces thorough analysis of the cumulative impact of all coalition changes, on households across the income distribution. This information is produced by the Treasury and is published alongside every Budget and autumn statement, in the interests of transparency. The previous Government did not provide this type of analysis. The most recent update was published with the autumn statement on 5 December 2013, Official Report, columns 1101-13, and can be found using the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263548/impact_on_households _autumn_statement_2013.pdf
	Distributional analysis is provided for the whole population on the basis of household income and household expenditure. However, this is not disaggregated to the level of household characteristics such as disability status or lower level geographies.
	The Government also carries out equality impact assessments on any policies that might have a disproportionate affect on disabled people.

Disability Living Allowance

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) adults and (b) children whose main disabling condition was cystic fibrosis successfully appealed a negative benefit decision for disability living allowance in each year since 1992.

Michael Penning: The information requested is not available.

Employment Schemes: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Workchoice programme in getting disabled people into work.

Esther McVey: The latest Work Choice statistics released in November 2013 show that Work Choice performance is continuing to improve, with 43% of those referred to Work Choice in Quarter 4 of 2012-13 having found employment as opposed to 34% in the same period in 2011-12. This shows that through this provision, more disabled people are now getting the support they need to get into and stay in work.
	Our recently published Disability and Health Employment Strategy paper sets out our proposals to improve the support we currently provide to disabled people and people with health conditions. We will develop these proposals over the coming months and make plans for what we will do when our current contracts for employment support for disabled people and people with health conditions come to an end.

Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will mark the 40th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Michael Penning: I will be working with the Health and Safety Executive to ensure that the anniversary of the Act receiving Royal Assent in July 1974, is appropriately acknowledged and recognised.
	Workplace health and safety has made an important contribution to vastly reducing the numbers of people killed, injured or made unwell by their work in the last 40 years. As a result, Britain is one of the safest places in the world in which to work.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to enable local authorities to exempt patients on home dialysis from the under-occupancy penalty.

Esther McVey: There are no plans to provide disabled people with blanket exemptions to the removal of the spare room subsidy.
	The Government has allocated £180 million to the discretionary housing payment budget for 2013-14 to help vulnerable people facing difficult situations. £25 million, of which, has been specifically included to help those living in significantly adapted properties.
	This is treble the funding allocated in 2012-13.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of social housing tenants in wheelchair-standard properties affected by the implementation of the under occupancy penalty also qualify for and receive disability living allowance.

Esther McVey: The information is not available.

Occupational Pensions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of (a) the cost to the Exchequer of the Government's contribution to an auto-enrolment pension scheme, (b) the number of people enrolled and (c) the average contribution by employees and employers in each year to 2018-19.

Steve Webb: We expect the annual cost to the Exchequer of income tax relief on individuals' contributions to automatic enrolment schemes to be between £1.1 billion and £1.7 billion once the reforms are fully implemented.
	We expect between 6 and 9 million individuals to be newly saving or saving more as a result of automatic enrolment. As of the end of December 2013, around 2.6 million people had already been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension.
	The legal minimum rates for contributions to an automatic enrolment pension scheme are set out in table 1. The contributions are based on earnings between the lower and upper limits of the qualifying earnings band (QEB) (£5,668 and £41,450 in 2013-14 respectively; reviewed annually). The individual contribution rate includes tax relief on individual contributions.
	
		
			 Table 1: Minimum contribution rates for individuals and employers over the introduction period of automatic enrolment 
			 % 
			  Individual contribution rate Employer contribution rate 
			 Current 1 1 
			 October 2017 to September 2018 3 2 
			 October 2018 - 5 3 
		
	
	Many individuals and employers pay more than the legal minimum rate of contributions, and also contribute to pensions from the first pound of earnings. Table 2 illustrates the annual contributions to an auto-enrolment pension scheme for a median earner (annual earnings: £26,900) until and beyond October 2018.
	
		
			 Table 2: Contributions by individuals, employers and the Government to an automatic enrolment scheme for a median earner1 over the introduction period of automatic enrolment 
			 £ 
			  Contributions based on entire earnings Contributions based only on QEB 
			 Time period Individual contribution Employer contribution Individual contribution Employer contribution 
			 Current 215 269 170 212 
			 October 2017 to September 2018 646 538 510 425 
			 October 2018 - 1,076 807 849 637 
			 1 Annual earnings: £26.900. Note: Individuals are eligible for automatic enrolment if they earn above the earnings trigger (£9,440 in 2013-14; reviewed annually).

Social Security Benefits: Internet

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  when he expects My Benefits Online to be completed; how much it will cost in total; and what proportion of the budget has been spent to date;
	(2)  what recent progress he has made on My Benefits Online; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey: The vast majority of the My Benefits Online service has been developed. We have taken time recently to review the changing needs of our customers and the standards proposed for all government online services, as determined by Government Digital Standards.
	A total cost of the service is not yet available and we do not have a confirmed date for completion.

State Retirement Pensions

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy that pensioners receive their first payment of state pension as soon as possible after they reach pension age.

Steve Webb: It is our policy to encourage people to claim their state pension in advance of their reaching state pension age. The Department has a number of arrangements in place to support this policy. This includes issuing invitations to encourage people to make their claim and offering a choice of how to claim—online, telephone and in writing.
	State pension is paid in arrears and is currently paid either weekly or in multiples of a week. This is because, like most other long standing state benefits, payment is calculated on a weekly basis. It is awarded from the start of the person's first benefit week. This period is determined by the individual's national insurance number rather than the day on which they reach state pension age.
	These arrangements are being considered as part of the implementation plans for our single-tier pension reforms.

Housing Benefit

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the cost is of housing benefit for the under 25s;
	(2)  what the cost is of housing benefit to under 25s living in private sector accommodation.

Steve Webb: The following table shows housing benefit expenditure on claimants aged under 25 by tenure type for the financial year 2012-13, the latest available year of outturn.
	
		
			 Housing benefit expenditure on claimants aged under 25 by tenure type for 2012-13 (£ million, nominal) 
			  Expenditure (£ million) 
			 Private Sector 891 
			 Social Sector 972 
			 Total HB 1,863 
			 Source: Local authority statistical data and subsidy returns

EDUCATION

Children: Social Services

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the total ring-fenced spending on children's services was in each London borough in each of the last five years.

David Laws: Latest figures on both the income and expenditure of local authority maintained schools in England and the income and expenditure of local authorities on their education, children's and young people’s services for the financial year April 2012-March 2013 were published on 12 December at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/la-and-school-expenditure-financial-year-2012-to-2013
	Data for previous years can be found in Table A1 at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/section251/archive/b0068383/section-251-data-archive/outturn-data-detailed-level-2008-09-onwards
	It is not possible to determine how much of the expenditure was ring-fenced. Monitoring by funding source could incorrectly imply conditionality on non-ring-fenced grants.

Education: Finance

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much capital funding has been allocated to each local authority for basic need for the 2011-17 period.

David Laws: A copy of the information requested has been placed in the House Library. The data does not include funding through the Targeted Basic Need programme. These funding agreements will be confirmed in due course.
	On 18 December 2013, the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), announced £2.35 billion to support local authorities to create additional school places, for the financial years 2015-17. This is additional to the £5 billion that has been allocated between 2011-15. We are giving local authorities longer-term allocations for new school places, which will give them more certainty in their planning.

Free School Meals

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in each type of primary school in each local authority area are entitled to free school meals.

David Laws: Statistics on the percentages of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals have been published in 'Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2013'1. Tables 3a and 3c (national tables) show these statistics for primary schools, academies and free schools. Table 8a (local authority and regional tables) show these statistics for primary schools in each local authority area.
	1Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013

Free School Meals

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in England and Wales are eligible for free school meals.

David Laws: The proportion of pupils eligible for and claiming free school meals in England is 18.3%. This information is published in the "Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2013" Statistical First Release1.
	Information on free school meal eligibility for Wales is a devolved matter for the Welsh Government.
	1 Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013

Free School Meals

Richard Shepherd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether funds for the key stage one free school meals programme will be allocated directly to schools or to local education authorities; and when he plans to announce the allocations of funds for 2014-15.

David Laws: All pupils attending state-funded schools in reception, year one and year two in England will from September 2014 be offered a free school lunch. We will be providing over £1 billion funding for this policy between 2014 and 2016.
	The Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), and I wrote to all local authorities and schools in England on 23 January 20141 setting out how revenue funding for this policy will be allocated in 2014-15. Schools will receive a flat rate of £2.30 per meal taken, based on actual take-up by newly eligible infant pupils, which will be measured in the Schools Census from October 2014. In addition, in recognition that some smaller schools will face particular challenges, we will provide transitional funding totalling £22.5 million in 2014-15 for small schools, which will be provided before the start of the new academic year. We will provide more details on the revenue funding arrangements in due course. We expect to announce allocations later in the year, when pupil numbers from the January 2014 school census are finalised.
	This revenue funding is in addition to the £150 million of capital funding being be made available in 2014-15 to support schools and local authorities in providing the facilities necessary to deliver the new entitlement. Allocations of capital funding to local authorities were announced on 18 December 20132.
	1Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-letter-about-universal-infant-free-school-meals
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-local-authorities-on-universal-infant-free-school-meals
	2Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-allocations-for-basic-need-and-infant-free-school-meals

GCSE: Disadvantaged

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in England and Wales eligible for free school meals achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C in any subject in 2013.

David Laws: The proportion of pupils in England eligible for free school meals who achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C in any subject in 2012/13 was 69.3%. This information can be found in table 1 of the statistical first release "GCSE and equivalent attainment by pupil characteristics: 2012 to 2013”1.
	Education matters in Wales are devolved to the Welsh Government.
	1 Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-2012-to-2013

GCSE: Disadvantaged

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in England and Wales eligible for free school meals achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C of which two were English and mathematics, in 2013.

David Laws: The proportion of pupils in England eligible for free school meals who achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C, of which two were English and mathematics, in 2012/13 was 37.9%. This information is published in table 1 of the statistical first release "GCSE and equivalent attainment by pupil characteristics: 2012 to 2013"
	1
	.
	Education matters in Wales are devolved to the Welsh Government.
	1 Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-2012-to-2013

Pupils: Absenteeism

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the proportion of children of foreign nationals who are enrolled for school but do not attend; and what assessment he has made of the (a) quality and (b) reliability of information received by (i) his Department and (ii) schools from the Immigration Service and other agencies on the whereabouts and wellbeing of such children.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not receive information from the immigration service about children who might be missing from education. Schools treat all pupils' attendance in the same way; they monitor attendance and address it where it is poor. The law requires all schools to send the name and address of every pupil that has been absent continuously for 10 school days or more without the school's permission to their local authority. It is the responsibility of local authorities to investigate why a pupil might be missing education in these circumstances. Statutory guidance to local authorities on children missing education advises local authorities to work with UK Border Agency where there may be immigration concerns regarding a missing pupil.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Emergency Services: Telecommunications

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the risk assessment of the move to a shared network communications infrastructure for emergency services and other civil contingency operatives.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 28 January 2014
	The programme is about to commence a competitive procurement, governed by European Union regulations. The Home Office considers the risk assessment to be commercially sensitive and so cannot release this document as it may prejudice the procurement.

Firearms: Licensing

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if her Department will review the fee for a firearms certificate.

Norman Baker: I am determined to ensure that the costs of the firearms licensing system are proportionate and fair. Any review of firearms licensing fees must, therefore, properly reflect efficiencies being made to the system. We are working with the police and members of the shooting community to assess how the cost of the firearms licensing process will change once eCommerce for Policing has been introduced.

Forced Marriage

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress the Government has made in eradicating forced marriage.

Norman Baker: The coalition Government is currently piloting through Parliament the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill which will make the act of forcing someone to marry a criminal offence.
	In doing so, we are sending out a very clear message that this brutal practice is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the UK. We are also criminalising breach of Forced Marriage Protection Orders to increase protection for victims and ensure perpetrators are properly punished.
	However, we know that legislation alone is not enough which is why the Forced Marriage Unit remains focused on prevention, support, raising awareness and protection for victims and those at risk of abuse.

Mental Illness

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were detained by police in a place of safety in accordance with section 136 of the Mental Health Act 2007 in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Damian Green: Data on the number of Section 136 detentions is published annually by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).
	The number of detentions made by the police in England in each of the last 10 years is shown in the following table (which is taken from the HSCIC publication).
	These figures will include some people who were detained more than once in the reporting year—the total number of people detained is not centrally collected.
	
		
			 Detentions made by the police under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983, by year, April to March, England 
			  Number of detainees 
			 2003-04 4,106 
			 2004-05 4,765 
			 2005-06 5,495 
			 2006-07 6,004 
			 2007-08 7,035 
			 2008-09 8,495 
			 2009-10 12,038 
			 2010-11 14,111 
			 2011-121 23,569 
			 2012-131 22,057 
			 1 The total numbers of detentions shown for 2011-12 and 2012-13 are not comparable to the totals shown for previous years. The 2011-12 and 2012-13 totals include both detentions which led to the detainee being taken to a health based place of safety and those where the detainee was taken to a police station. The totals from 2003-04 to 2010-11 include only those occurrences whereby the detainee was taken to a health based place of safety. Source: Inpatients Formally Detained in Hospitals Under the Mental Health Act 1983 and Patients Subject to Supervised Community Treatment, England, Annual figures. Available at: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB12503

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy: Conservation

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Derby North of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 975, on energy efficiency, how many of the third of a million homes received improvements under the (a) Green Deal and (b) Energy Company's Obligation.

Gregory Barker: The latest monthly Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Statistical Release (published on 21 January 2014) reported that a provisional 471,766 measures were installed in around 403,000 properties through ECO (394,370 properties), Cashback (8,485 properties) and Green Deal (458 properties) to the end of November 2013.
	A breakdown by month is available in Table 1a in the latest monthly Statistical Release:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-monthly-statistics-january-2014

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Jarrow, of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 978, on fuel poverty, if he will make it his policy to bring the off-gas grid sector under the regulatory framework for on-grid electricity and gas.

Gregory Barker: The remit of Ofgem is to regulate the monopoly companies that run the electricity and gas networks. There is no natural or structural monopoly for supply and distribution in off-gas grid fuels, so regulation by Ofgem may not be appropriate. A market study conducted by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in 2011 found few competition concerns, with 97% of heating oil consumers having access to four or more different suppliers.
	We believe that an open and competitive market in such fuels is the best way to protect the interests of off-gas grid consumers. The third Ministerial Roundtable on heating oil and LPG is due to be held in May, to take stock of the off-gas grid fuel market over the winter heating period. This will include looking at the impact of the Customer Charter and the voluntary Code of Practice that the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers introduced in September.

Energy: Prices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average annual change in gas and electricity bills has been in each of the last 10 years.

Gregory Barker: The following tables show average annual gas and electricity bills, split by method of payment:
	
		
			  Average annual gas bill (£) Year on year percentage change 
			  Standard credit Direct Debit Prepayment Standard credit Direct Debit Prepayment 
			 2003 320 292 336 — — — 
			 2004 333 309 351 4 6 4 
			 2005 386 353 401 16 14 14 
			 2006 474 424 498 23 20 24 
			 2007 536 485 573 13 14 15 
			 2008 625 579 651 17 19 14 
			 2009 708 652 '739 13 13 14 
			 2010 681 639 683 -4 -2 -8 
			 2011 749 697 743 10 9 9 
			 2012 839 773 828 12 11 11 
			 2013 896 823 890 7 6 7 
		
	
	
		
			  Average annual electricity bill (£) Year on year percentage change 
			  Standard credit Direct Debit Prepayment Standard credit Direct Debit Prepayment 
			 2003 250 238 266 — — — 
			 2004 257 244 274 3 3 3 
			 2005 285 269 304 11 10 11 
			 2006 338 313 359 19 16 18 
			 2007 378 348 394 12 11 10 
			 2008 435 400 454 15 15 15 
			 2009 448 409 457 3 2 1 
			 2010 435 398 446 -3 -3 -2 
			 2011 472 434 479 9 9 7 
			 2012 500 460 501 6 6 5 
			 2013 532 491 534 6 7 7 
		
	
	These energy bills assume an annual gas consumption of 18,000 kWh and an annual electricity consumption of 3,300 kWh, and are given in cash terms. The data are taken from DECC's statistical publication, Quarterly Energy Prices, and is available online:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statistics

Fracking

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what the Government's policy is towards permitting fracking operators to drill under land belonging to homeowners;
	(2)  if the Government will take steps to ensure that energy companies carrying out fracking cannot drill beneath homes without the homeowners' consent.

Michael Fallon: Shale gas and oil operations involve hydraulic fracturing in wells drilled over a mile down, which at that depth are highly unlikely to have any discernible impacts closer to the surface.
	Like any other industrial activity, oil and gas operations require access permission from landowners.
	Operators prefer where possible to agree this through negotiation with the landowner, but there is an existing legal route by which they can apply for access where this can't be negotiated.
	The Government is currently considering whether this existing route is fit for purpose, and what impact this could have on the development of shale gas.

Fracking

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have held in which the requirement that energy companies carrying out fracking need the permission of homeowners to drill beneath their houses was discussed.

Michael Fallon: My officials and I speak to stakeholders about a wide variety of matters during the course of routine policy development.

Green Deal Scheme

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many buildings owned by (a) central Government Departments or agencies and (b) local government have received finance under the Green Deal to date.

Gregory Barker: Government bodies have a range of options available to finance energy efficiency improvements and are free to choose the option that best suits their needs, in line with their own rules on borrowing. Green Deal providers to date have focused on offering Green Deal plans (finance) to the domestic sector and all plans to date have been taken out by that sector. The Government announced on 2 December 2013 that, over three years, £90 million will be spent improving the energy efficiency of schools, hospitals and other public sector buildings, through a loans scheme, building on the existing Salix finance scheme.

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies of his Department and(iii) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.

Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) on 18 November 2013, Official Report, columns 719-20W.
	Five employees working in Aberdeen through a Shared Service Agreement provided by BIS are paid under the national living wage. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs, the hon. Member for Cardiff Central (Jenny Willott), on 28 January 2014, Official Report, columns 505-07W.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials of each grade in his Department have the authority to execute a purchase; what proportion of these officials have professional procurement qualifications; and what key indicators are used by his Department to assess procurement officers' performance.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 29 January 2014
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has 172 members of staff ranging from administrative assistant to higher executive officer with authority to execute a purchase. These staff are normally executing a purchase on behalf of procurement decision makers.
	Procurement within the Department is carried out within the directorates with professional support from a procurement team of eight people, all of whom are members of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.
	Procurement officers' performance, like that of all DECC employees, is assessed under the Department's performance management system against both the “What” (delivery of objectives) and the “How” (demonstration of behaviours, capabilities and values) with equal weighting.
	The overarching departmental aims, wider policy and civil service objectives provide the key indicators for the individual objectives and clearly set out the individual's contribution to delivering DECC business plan.
	The Civil Service Competency Framework (which replaced the PSG) provides specific guidance on managing individual performance in relation to the required capabilities, behaviours and values, designed to support business improvement in DECC Procurement. This also provides consistency across Government Departments and clarity on expected behaviours in achieving the Government Procurement Reform Purpose of: Improving Capability, Supporting Growth and Reducing the Deficit.
	At the end-of-year employees' performance is assessed against that of their peers.

Wind Power

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of increased use of wind generated power on imported forms of energy.

Gregory Barker: It is important to note that there are various factors, other than increased wind generation, that influence the extent of electricity imports, including relative wholesale electricity prices (between the UK and the inter-connected countries), availability of conventional plant, and increases in, and availability of, interconnection capacity.
	The Digest of United Kingdom energy statistics (DUKES) reports that wind generation made up 2.7% of the total UK electricity supply in 2010, 4.2% in 2011 and 5.4% in 2012. Over the same time period electricity imports, net of exports, have increased from 0.7% of the total UK electricity supply in 2010, to 1.7% in 2011 and 3.2% in 2012.
	Source:
	DUKES 6.4 (wind generation) and 5.1 (imports, exports and total electricity supply), available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-sources-of-energy-chapter-6-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes
	and
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-chapter-5-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes

Wind Power

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many onshore wind farms were granted planning permission in each year from 2004 to 2009.

Gregory Barker: The number of onshore wind farms granted planning permission between 2004 and 2009 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2004 45 
			 2005 52 
			 2006 48 
			 2007 65 
			 2008 85 
			 2009 104 
			 Total 399 
			 Source: The Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) https://restats.decc.gov.uk/cms/planning-database-reports

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Online Gambling

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the level of online gambling problems.

Helen Grant: The British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2010 indicates that problem gambling rates for some forms of online gambling activity are proportionately higher than some other forms of gambling, and that some people who gamble online are likely to take part in multiple other gambling activities. Through the Gambling Licensing and Advertising Bill, the Government is extending consistent protections for all British based users of online gambling services.

Arts and Culture Spending

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect of Government spending decisions on the arts and culture outside London.

Edward Vaizey: Funding decisions for the arts are made independently of Ministers by Arts Council England, which takes account of the geographical distribution of its funding; in terms of local government, it is vital that local authorities take account of the priorities of the communities they serve when considering spending decisions on arts and culture.

2022 World Cup

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with representatives of FIFA and the domestic leagues on the timing of and arrangements for the 2022 World cup.

Helen Grant: The timing and arrangements for hosting the 2022 World Cup is an issue for FIFA and I have not had any specific discussions either with FIFA or the domestic leagues on this matter.
	FIFA have stated that no final decision will be taken until after this summer's World cup in Brazil, and only after it has consulted with its stakeholders—which would include the FA and our domestic leagues—we must respect that process.

Nuisance Calls

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress her Department has made on tackling nuisance calls.

Edward Vaizey: Tackling nuisance calls is one of my top priorities. We have encouraged greater co-operation between the two regulators, improved guidance and information for consumers and ensured more effective enforcement of the existing regulations. We will be publishing our Action Plan for nuisance calls shortly, which will set out progress made to date, work under way and our plans for the future.

Rugby World Cup

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to prevent 2015 rugby world cup tickets being purchased by organised syndicates of touts associated with criminal gangs.

Helen Grant: I am aware of the issues faced by the 2015 Rugby World Cup organisers. I have discussed various methods available to ensure reasonably priced tickets are available to those who wish to attend and to limit secondary sales.
	I am pleased to learn that the Rugby World Cup organisers have announced they will sell 500,000 tickets through RFU member clubs and will introduce an official ticket resale platform. We do not believe legislation is necessary to deliver a successful event in 2015.

First World War

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans are being put in place to ensure a suitable commemoration of the Commonwealth nations’ involvement in the first world war.

Maria Miller: The Government will mark the centenary of the First World War with a programme of national events, cultural activities, educational initiatives and community projects from 4 August this year through to Armistice Day in 2018. The significant and important contribution of all our Commonwealth partners will be commemorated as an integral part of our programme. We could not have prevailed in 1918 without them.

BBC Trust

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the BBC Trust on political impartiality.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has not had any recent discussions with the BBC Trust about political impartiality. Ensuring the BBC maintains impartiality on all issues is a key priority for the BBC Trust and we have full confidence in the trust's ability to carry out this duty.

Broadband

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the £250 million additional funding for superfast broadband rollout to achieve 95 per cent coverage will be delivered.

Edward Vaizey: The £250 million funding is for extending superfast broadband to 95% of UK premises by 2017 and we will be making a further announcement on the use of the funding in the near future.

Broadband: Braybrooke

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to ensure that superfast broadband is made available to the village of Braybrooke in Kettering constituency.

Edward Vaizey: The Government made available £4.08 million to the local broadband project in Northamptonshire and the county council made available a matching amount. Responsibility for the timing and targeting of broadband coverage resides primarily with the local bodies. The project supplier has commenced the build phase and it is anticipated that services from the first cabinets to go live will be available to customers imminently.

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent contact her Department had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts her Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is.

Helen Grant: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has had no contact with Curzon Education or the Curzon Institute, nor does it have any contracts with these organisations.

Food: Advertising

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the level of promotion of food and drink products to (a) child and (b) adult users of online computer games.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS has made no such recent assessment. Online computer games that advertise products, brands or organisations are regulated under the UK code of non-broadcast advertising, sales promotion and direct marketing (the CAP code, administered independently by the Advertising Standards Authority) which sets standards to prevent misleading, harmful and offensive advertising, and includes supplementary rules to ensure advertisers do not exploit children’s vulnerabilities. The CAP code places a number of conditions around the advertising of food and drink to children, requiring for example that such communications must not condone or encourage poor nutritional habits or an unhealthy lifestyle.

Gambling

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to raise awareness of the dangers of gambling addiction.

Helen Grant: Raising awareness of problem gambling and its impact is a priority for this Government. In July 2013, the Responsible Gambling Trust launched its redeveloped GambleAware™ website to promote responsibility in gambling and to signpost where to access help and support for those who get into difficulties with their gambling. In addition, in 2013 the Government secured commitments from the gambling industry to implement enhanced player protection measures as set out in new social responsibility codes.

Gambling

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has agreed any voluntary scheme for improved player protection with betting companies; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Grant: The Government has secured a commitment from the Association of British Bookmakers to introduce and evaluate new player protection measures on fixed odds betting terminals from 1 March 2014. The Government continues to work with the betting industry, the Gambling Commission, the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board and the Responsible Gambling Trust to determine what further measures might be necessary to mitigate harm.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 16 December 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms H. Buckley and Mr C. Owen.

Helen Grant: A response to the right hon. Gentleman was sent on 29 January 2014.

Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of expenditure on her Department's procurement contracts was placed with small and medium-sized enterprises based in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland, (e) the North East, (f) the North West, (g) Yorkshire and the Humber, (h) the East Midlands, (i) the West Midlands, (j) the East of England, (k) London, (l) the South East and (m) the South West in the last three years for which figures are available.

Helen Grant: The Department's direct and indirect spend with SMEs from 2009-10 to 2012-13 has been reported on GOV.UK:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/buying-and-managing-government-goods-and-services-more-efficiently-and-effectively/supporting-pages/making-sure-government-gets-full-value-from-small-and-medium-sized-enterprises
	We do not hold this information on a regional basis.

Swimming

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of (a) children under the age of 16, (b) adults over the age of 60 and (c) people in total who have taken part in a swimming session in each year since 2010.

Helen Grant: The information is as follows:
	(a) Swimming participation data for young people aged five to 15 can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sat--2
	(b) Swimming participation data for people age 16+ years can be found at:
	http://www.sportengland.org/research/who-plays-sport/by-sport/who-plays-sport/

Tourism

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the contribution of tourism to the British economy.

Helen Grant: According to a recent study by Deloitte and Oxford Economics the direct impact of the tourism sector is expected to contribute over £58 billion to the UK economy, which in turn will support over 1.75 million jobs, in 2013. If you include the indirect impact of the tourism sector this rises to over £127 billion, and supporting 3.12 million jobs.
	2013 is seeing large increases in overseas visits to the UK and record spend (in nominal terms). We are on course to see more than 32 million visits and, for the first time, spend of over £20 billion in a calendar year. In the first 11 months of 2013 there were 30.2 million inbound visitors to the UK, which is 5% higher than the total for the same period in 2012. These inbound visitors spent £19.3 billion, which is a 12% increase on the corresponding period in 2012.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Overseas Territories

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on establishing more marine reserves in UK Overseas Territories.

Mark Simmonds: The UK is committed to cherishing the rich environmental assets of the UK Overseas Territories, which are internationally recognised. In the inhabited Territories, the Territory Governments are constitutionally responsible for the protection and conservation of their natural environments. The Territories may develop their own strategies for marine protection, commensurate with the biological and economic resources available to them. The UK Government is working in partnership with Territory Governments to provide the technical advice and support they need to fulfil their environment commitments and develop robust marine management frameworks, which may include the designation of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the future. Of the uninhabited Territories, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territories have designated MPAs. The UK continues to work with other members of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to propose the establishment of further MPAs around Antarctica.

Burma

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what discussions the UK, through the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, has had with the Women's League of Burma;
	(2)  what recent reports he has received of continuing sexual violence by the Burmese Army against women in Burma; and what assessment he has made of the report by the Women's League of Burma contained in Same Impunity, Same Patterns, that over 100 women have been raped by the Burmese Army since the election of 2010.

Hugh Robertson: We have received a number of reports containing allegations of the use of sexual violence by the Burmese Army, including the Women's League of Burma's "Same Impunity, Same Patterns" report in January 2014, and other reports from the non-governmental organisation (NGO) community and Burmese ethnic groups.
	In January, diplomats based at our Mission to the United Nations (New York) met with representatives of the Women's League of Burma, following the publication of their report. They discussed the range of issues affecting women in Burma, including sexual violence in conflict. Our embassy in Rangoon remains in contact with the Women's League of Burma, along with other NGOs working to address the issue of sexual violence in Burma.
	We regularly lobby the Burmese Government on the rights of women, particularly on preventing sexual violence in conflict areas. We continue to make clear that where serious crimes have been committed, those who have perpetrated them should be held accountable for their actions. During his visit to the UK last year, President Thein Sein welcomed the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), initiative on preventing sexual violence in conflict (PSVI). We continue to encourage Burma to join 138 nations and endorse the UN Declaration on PSVI.
	We are funding work on preventing sexual violence totalling over £300,000 for the next 15 months. We will continue to look for further opportunities to incorporate PSVI in to our work and engage with the Burmese Government on this issue.

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no contracts with either Curzon Education or the Curzon Institute.

Embassies

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the hon. Members who have stayed at the Residence in (a) Paris, (b) Berlin, (c) Rome and (d) Madrid since May 2010; on what date each such visit took place; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The hon. and right hon. Members shown have stayed in our embassies and residences.
	
		
			 Date Name 
			 (a) Paris  
			 June 2010 Dr Denis MacShane 
			 October 2010 Dr Denis MacShane 
			 October 2010 Sir Edward Leigh 
			 January 2011 Dr Denis MacShane 
			 December 2011 Dr Denis MacShane 
			 March 2012 right hon. Mr James Arbuthnot 
			 March 2012 Austin Mitchell 
			 November 2012 Jeremy Lefroy 
			 November 2012 right hon. Sir Malcolm Bruce 
			 February 2013 Mr Brooks Newmark 
			 February 2013 Mr Robert Buckland 
			 February 2013 Mr Jonathan Djanogly 
			 February 2013 Mr Tobias Ellwood 
			 February 2013 Peter Luff 
			 January 2014 Hugh Bayley 
			 January 2014 Sir Tony Cunningham 
			 January 2014 Fabian Hamilton 
			 January 2014 Pauline Latham 
			 January 2014 Mr Michael McCann 
			 January 2014 Chris White 
			   
			 (b) Berlin  
			 November 2011 right hon. Jim Murphy 
			 March 2012 Hywell Williams 
			 March 2012 Andrew Miller 
			 March 2012 Stephen Mosley 
		
	
	
		
			 March 2012 Pamela Nash 
			 March 2012 Roger Williams 
			 June 2012 Mr Tobias Ellwood 
			 June 2012 Laura Sandys 
			 June 2012 Mr Jonathan Djanogly 
			 June 2012 Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger 
			 June 2012 Bill Esterson 
			 September 2012 Meg Munn 
			 January 2013 Paul Farelly 
			   
			 (c) Rome  
			 1— 1— 
			   
			 (d) Madrid  
			 January 2011 Dr Denis MacShane 
			 March 2012 Meg Munn 
			 1 No record of hon. Members staying. 
		
	
	In addition, Government Ministers use embassy accommodation when they are travelling as part of their official duties.

Iran

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether Iran’s portfolio of advanced IR-1m centrifuges will be discussed under the P5+1-Iran Joint Plan of Action.

Hugh Robertson: The Joint Plan of Action commits Iran to not install or bring into operation any new centrifuges or advanced models during the six-month interim agreement (which is renewable by mutual consent). It also commits Iran not to produce new centrifuges, except to replace damaged existing machines with models of the same type. Negotiations aimed at agreeing a comprehensive solution to Iran’s nuclear programme, including uranium enrichment, are expected to begin shortly.

Iran

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the P5+1-Iran Joint Plan of Action recognises Iran's right to enrich uranium.

Hugh Robertson: The Joint Plan of Action, implemented on 20 January, does not recognise any right to enrich uranium. It does, however, stipulate the elements of a comprehensive nuclear agreement with Iran, including a mutually defined enrichment programme with mutually agreed parameters consistent with practical needs, with agreed limits on scope and level of enrichment activities, capacity, where it is carried out, and stocks of enriched uranium, for a period to be agreed upon.

Iran

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to Iran on human rights abuses.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) raised Iran's human rights records with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif at the UN General Assembly on 23 September. I made a statement calling for Iran to take concrete steps to improve its dire human rights record following the adoption in November by the UN 3rd Committee of the UN resolution on human rights in Iran. The appointment of a non-resident chargé d'affaires will give us a channel for more detailed and regular discussions with Iran, including on human rights issues.

Iran

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking with his (a) US and (b) European counterparts to tackle human rights abuses in Iran.

Hugh Robertson: UK and US officials are in close contact on all elements of Iran policy, including human rights, and we regularly speak out about human rights abuses in Iran. The UK has also been instrumental in the EU's designation of 86 Iranian individuals and entities responsible for human rights violations.

Land

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which sites owned by his Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what the expected planning use is for each site; whether each site already has planning permission for the expected planning use; what the market value of the site is; and whether the site will be sold for the full market value.

David Lidington: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 514W.

Middle East

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Israel and (b) the Gulf on Iran's support for international terrorism.

Hugh Robertson: Ministers and FCO officials engage regularly with Gulf and Israeli counterparts on security issues in the region, including Iran and counter-terrorism.

Missing Persons: United Arab Emirates

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the safety and whereabouts of Abbas Yazdi; and if he will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office were informed that Abbas Yazdi, an Iranian/British national, had disappeared in the United Arab Emirates by his wife in June 2013. From the outset we have provided full consular assistance to Mr Yazdi's family and liaised closely with the relevant Emirati authorities who are carrying out an investigation into his disappearance. We have also raised our concerns about Mr Yazdi's disappearance with the Iranian authorities. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) did so most recently during his call to Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on 21 January 2013.

Missing Persons: United Arab Emirates

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the (a) Home Office, (b) the Law Officers' Departments and (c) the Serious Fraud Office on the disappearance of Abbas Yazdi.

Hugh Robertson: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials have regular meetings with Home Office, Law Officers Department and Serious Fraud Office colleagues to discuss a variety of issues. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's policy to provide details of such meetings.

Property: Ownership

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in other EU member states on the issue of the restitution of property wrongfully seized by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945.

David Lidington: The Government’s discussions on the issue of restitution of property wrongfully seized by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945 are taken forward the Foreign Secretary’s Envoy for Post Holocaust Issues Sir Andrew Burns KCMG. His mandate includes responding to the concerns of Holocaust victims and their families and he has been actively lobbying other governments to address Holocaust-era restitution issues more vigorously. Within the EU Sir Andrew has raised restitution of property wrongfully seized with Ministers and officials of Poland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Estonia and Lithuania in the last year. He has also had discussions with non-EU member states, interested non-governmental organisations and relevant international organisations.

Property: Ownership

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of international agreements entered into by the UK in respect of the restitution and compensation of property wrongfully seized by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945.

David Lidington: The main agreement covering this issue is the Terezin Declaration on Holocaust Era Assets of 2009. The UK is committed to working with our international partners to encourage the implementation of this declaration. The terms of reference of the UK Special Envoy for Post Holocaust issues, Sir Andrew Burns, include pursuing progress on outstanding restitution issues. He has been working closely with non-governmental organisations and like-minded governments to make progress. We continue to remind our fellow signatories of their obligations under, the Terezin Declaration.
	The Declaration is a political and non-legally binding document that sets out the principles and measures which governments should adopt to advance the various post-Holocaust issues including restitution. The principles for the restitution of looted art were drawn up in a Washington conference of 1998 and for looted immovable property in Prague in 2010. It is for individual governments to turn these guidelines into effective national practice.
	The Czech Government established the European Shoah Legacy Institute (ESLI) to pursue progress on achieving the provisions of the Terezin Declaration and convened a Review Conference on property restitution in 2012 for which all participants were asked to provide reports.
	We continue to raise our concerns about the lack of implementation of the Declaration with a number of European governments. We have also been highlighting UK initiatives on restitution, including the Spoliation Advisory Panel established in 2000 to advise claimants and institutions in the UK on claims for the return of works of art lost during the Nazi era and pushing ESLI to demonstrate practical and measurable progress.

Property: Ownership

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the progress in the implementation of the Terezin Declaration on Holocaust Era Assets by the signatories of that declaration.

David Lidington: The Terezin Declaration of 2009 set out guidelines and best practice for the restitution and compensation for assets wrongly seized during the holocaust era. The UK Government is committed to working with international partners to encourage the implementation of the declaration. The declaration is a non-binding, but moral commitment to bringing some form of long delayed justice to holocaust survivors and their families. The Czech Government established the European Shoah Legacy Institute (ESLI) in 2010 to pursue progress on achieving the provisions of the Terezin Declaration and convened a Review conference on property restitution in 2012. We have expressed concerns that ESLI had been slow to get off the ground, but we have nevertheless actively engaged with the institute and other key countries to try and achieve progress with the implementation of the declaration.

Thailand

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Thailand on the recent violence and state of emergency in that country; and what assessment he has made of the effect of this situation on the general election due to be held on 2 February 2014.

Hugh Robertson: We are deeply concerned by the recent violence in Thailand which has led the Thai Government to declare a state of emergency. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and are updating our travel advice for British nationals accordingly, as it is likely that more protests will follow on 2 February when the general election is held.
	Our ambassador to Thailand is in regular contact with both Thai Government and opposition leaders, encouraging commitment to the values of democracy and rule of law for Thailand's peace and stability.

Ukraine

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received from the Ukranian government and opposition leaders on the street protests in Kiev.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), spoke to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kozhara on 24 January 2014. He made clear to him that he was deeply concerned about the situation in Kyiv and that all sides had a responsibility to refrain from violence and avoid actions that might inflame the situation further. He told the Foreign Minister that particular responsibility rested with the Ukrainian Government and President Yanukovych.
	I met the Ukrainian Chargé d'Affaires on 22 January and delivered the same message. I also spoke to the leader of the opposition UDAR party, Vitaliy Klitschko, on 25 January. I welcomed the leadership which he had shown during the crisis and encouraged the Opposition parties to continue their talks with the President and to do what they could to reduce tension.
	The British embassy in Kyiv has maintained regular contact with both the Ukrainian Government and opposition leaders throughout the protests, and will continue to monitor developments closely.

Ukraine

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political unrest in Ukraine.

David Lidington: We continue to follow developments in Ukraine closely. We welcome the news that the Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) has repealed restrictive laws passed on 16 January. This is a step in the right direction. It is important that all sides work to build on this with a view to calming the situation and taking the country forward. It is also important that the Government continue to listen to and address the concerns of the Ukrainian people.
	We welcome talks between President Yanukovych and opposition leaders which appear to have produced some specific ideas on a way forward from the current crisis. It is not for us to comment on specific proposals, but we welcome all sincere efforts to resolve the situation peacefully. The next few days will be a test of President Yanukovych's commitment to address the concerns of the protesters and find a constructive way forward.
	We are deeply concerned by the violence seen in Ukraine. While all sides have a responsibility to refrain from violence, particular responsibility rests with the Ukrainian Government and President Yanukovych. The Foreign Secretary underlined this message during a conversation with Foreign Minister Kozhara on 24 January in which he condemned the violence, particularly the deaths of protesters.

Yemen

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect on security in Yemen of drone strikes in that country. [R]

Hugh Robertson: Drone strikes against terrorist targets in Yemen are a matter for the Yemeni and US Governments. We expect all concerned to act in accordance with international law and take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian casualties when conducting operations. There is a need for effective action, and for Yemeni ownership of the fight against terrorism. It is important that Yemen and the international community continue to work together to combat this common threat.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Colombia

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which individuals and organisations will accompany him on his forthcoming visit to Colombia.

Nicholas Clegg: Information about Ministers' visits overseas are published on a quarterly basis.

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent contact he has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute.

Nicholas Clegg: I have had no meetings with Curzon Education or the Curzon Institute.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine Tuberculosis

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the National Farmers' Union is underwriting any part of the costs of the badger cull.

George Eustice: The policy is supported by the farming industry as the only method currently available of tackling the disease in wildlife. As such, the farming industry is responsible for the operational costs of delivering culling. The way in which expenditure is shared between the cull companies and the NFU is a matter for them.

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is.

Dan Rogerson: Core DEFRA publishes quarterly reports of Ministers’ and permanent secretaries’ meetings with external organisations on our website and there is no record of any contact with Curzon Education or the Curzon Institute.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212312/defra-min-transparency-1213-q4.pdf
	Information requested in respect of other officials’ meetings is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
	There is no central record of core DEFRA having any contracts with Curzon Education or the Curzon Institute.

Disease Control

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps he has taken to ensure that the UK is prepared for the arrival from overseas of diseases affecting crops and livestock;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the UK is prepared for potential future diseases that may affect crops and livestock.

George Eustice: DEFRA assesses the risks from over 1,000 pests, diseases and non-native species on a regular basis and Ministers meet monthly to consider these risks. We are reviewing how DEFRA approaches these risks, across the spectrum of activity on biosecurity pre-border, at the border and within the UK.
	DEFRA officials regularly monitor animal disease outbreaks around the world and assess the potential impact on the UK. Further information can be found at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/monitoring/
	Additionally, DEFRA funds scanning surveillance undertaken by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) in partnership with industry within England and Wales. This activity supports the detection of new or changed diseases at farm level, building up a national picture.
	We work closely with industry and stakeholders in developing disease control policies within the framework of European Union (EU) and national law, and we update our contingency plans regularly
	www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/controls
	We undertake risk based targeted checks at our borders in addition to statutory inspections to ensure compliance with import legislation. To minimise the risk of introduction and spread of undetected disease we have a number of controls on the movement of animals and operation of livestock markets. More information can be found at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases
	In relation to plant health threats, we are developing a plant biosecurity strategy to address the recommendations of the independent Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Taskforce which published its recommendations in May 2013. We have already developed a new plant health risk register which includes over 650 pests. It will be updated monthly to enhance our existing process of assessing and responding to new and changing plant health threats identified through horizon scanning and the latest intelligence which is considered by the UK Plant Health Risk Group. We have also initiated work on improving contingency planning and intensified surveillance, are increasing the number of plant health inspectors and investing in training to boost their skills and capability.
	We have also introduced in November 2013 additional restrictions on the importation of plane and sweet chestnut trees, and my officials are working to influence the ongoing review of the EU Plant Health Regime.

Forests

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2014, Official Report, column 125W, on flood control, if he will fund research into contour afforestation in water catchment areas.

Dan Rogerson: We do not allocate funding for research into a category or criterion called contour afforestation. However, I can confirm that we will continue our research into understanding how woodland creation can contribute to managing flood risk by working with natural processes.

Forests

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Development on research it has conducted in (a) the UK and (b) developing countries into contour afforestation in water catchment areas.

Dan Rogerson: There have been no discussions with the Secretary of State for International Development, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), on research it has conducted in (a) the UK and (b) developing countries into contour afforestation in water catchment areas.

Forests: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the use of EU farming subsidies to incentivise contour afforestation as water catchments in flood risk areas;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the England Woodland Grants Scheme in reducing the risk of flooding.

Dan Rogerson: The English Woodland Grant Scheme is the only EU subsidy that has been used to incentivise woodland creation to help reduce flood risk; though it does not have a specific category or criterion called contour afforestation. National targeting towards that objective took place between April 2012 and the end of December 2013. It is too early to assess the effectiveness of the recent planting in reducing flood risk.

Forests: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  which flood risk areas benefited from the England Woodland Grant Scheme;
	(2)  how many England Woodland Grants were used for contour planting in flood risk areas.

Dan Rogerson: Since April 2012 the Forestry Commission has offered enhanced rates of English Woodland Grant Scheme funding under the Rural Development Programme to help reduce flood risk in areas where evidence suggests there are real opportunities for woodland measures to make a contribution.
	The scheme does not include any category or criterion called contour planting but provisional analysis of the programme to the end of December 2013 identifies 240 new woodland grant contracts (981 hectares), which focus on flood risk areas. This breaks down as follows:
	72 (417 hectares) in Yorkshire and North East;
	80 (303 hectares) in the North West and West Midlands;
	34 (86 hectares) in the East and East Midlands;
	32 (103 hectares) in the South East; and
	22 (72 hectares) in the South West.

Land

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which sites owned by his Department are currently earmarked for disposal; what the current class use is of each site; what the expected planning use is for each site; whether each site already has planning permission for the expected planning use; what the market value of the site is; and whether the site will be sold for the full market value.

Dan Rogerson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 514W.

Procurement

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials of each grade in his Department have the authority to execute a purchase; what proportion of these officials have professional procurement qualifications; and what key indicators are used by his Department to assess procurement officers’ performance.

Dan Rogerson: holding answer 28 January 2014
	The procurement and commercial function (PCF), which centrally manages all core DEFRA spend above £10,000, currently employs 38 civil servants. Of these, 22 have a professional procurement qualification. Within PCF, there are 11 senior management grades, with delegated authority to execute purchases through signing contracts. All of these staff are performance managed through the standard civil service annual review process, and are specifically measured on savings made, timeliness targets and customer satisfaction.

Secondment

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what level of vetting and security clearance is applied to staff seconded to his Department from the private sector;
	(2)  what steps his Department takes to guard against any potential commercial or other conflicts of interest involving staff seconded to his Department from the private sector.

Dan Rogerson: Staff seconded to core DEFRA, from the private sector, are required to meet the Government Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Additional national security vetting clearances will apply to individuals according to the sensitivity of information to which they regularly have access.
	Any private sector employees who are seconded to DEFRA sign a DEFRA Inward Secondment Agreement, which covers issues such as conflict of interest, confidentiality and use of information during their secondment.